Photos from Wikipages.com

Last night, I checked out a dinner spot that I’d heard a lot about: Otto. Located in the West Village, this Mario Batali restaurant serves up a variety of appetizers, pizzas, and pastas with a killer wine list. Unlike Batali’s Babbo (which I went to once and can’t afford again anytime soon), the dishes are very reasonably priced - $9 for a pasta dish, $12 - $15 for a pizza.

We were glad we’d made a reservation, since the place was pretty packed. There’s a wine bar in the front, with more seating options in the back. We were politely greeted by a red-haired waiter who aptly looked like Mario himself.  We started off the meal with a drink, possibly the most expensive glass of wine I’ve ever had (all wines by the glass were $12-$15, despite the reasonable food prices). But it was a bit more than a glass and super tasty. Read more

Photo from numero28.com

I was meeting a friend for lunch today and felt like some good comfort food. My coworker suggested Pizzeria Numero 28, describing it as the best pizza in the city.

We walked through a drizzly rain in the West Village to get to the restaurant. With the wet weather, we opted for one of their indoor tables (we had our pick). The prices weren’t that great for even their smallest pizza (around $15), so we decided to split a 14 inch Buffalo mozzarrella, tomato, basil pie.  The pizza didn’t take long to arrive and it was delicious. Fresh and perfect with awesome crust. We could have easily split a larger pie, since I devoured my half so quickly.

I’m not sure that it really was the best pizza in the city (there’s a lot of ridiculously good pizza places), but I would say it’s up there. Definitely a good lunch for a rainy Friday.

OK so the pompous title got you to read eh !

Well this post is about one of my favorite lunch options and which I invariably partake one day of the week. These are the halal carts all over the city but especially out in force in my neck of the woods around 6th Avenue and 19th street.

If you stand at this location you can see 4-5 carts within a 100m radius.

What really surprises me is the price of the food. It has been the same for over two years. Anywhere between 4 and 5 bucks will get you a huge portion of Chicken/Lamb/Falafel over rice with lettuce and tomato.

It has not mattered that in the same time frame the price of gas has gone up more than 60% (or  more).

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Iced Coffee on the bar at Abraço

Food and Wine just listed Abraço Espresso - one of my personal favorites since before it began - as one of the top new coffee bars in the country today.

The tiny shop is located on 86  East Seventh street between 1st and 2nd avenues. While Abraço was under construction, I was merely passing by and when I approached partner Jamie McCormick about details, he was thrilled to talk and offered a hug. But I opted for the delicious individually dripped coffee instead.

Since then, there was love. Another partner Elizabeth whose last name I don’t know since I have only called her Elizabeth used to bake only vegan goodies. Being that I’m vegan she even changed up the menu one weekend to make all the food vegan & Jain.

The shop has an essence about it that is hard to beat. Brazilian beats playing on a turntable atop one of the highest shelves in the shop. Hand painted walls with beautiful art, a mosaic on the floor as you enter. A bay-window that opens up to the sidewalk. Some of the nicest people in NYC. Oh and the coffee isn’t that bad either. After not drinking it for about 3 months, when I first pressed it to my lips, a surge of energy went through my body and I completely fell in love with it all over again.

Definitely worth checking out - not just because Food and Wine says so - but because it’s damn good (and because I say so and so does the New York Times & NY Magazine).

Photo from yelp.com

I tried out a new lunch spot today in the West Village. When my lunch companion said she craved something spicy, I suggested we go to a place I’d passed many times but never visited - Spice.

With a funky decor, Spice has a modern feel. This restaurant serves all the Thai favorites - including many spicy options and vegetarian choices. Like Cafetasia, this establishment has a lunch special of an appetizer and entree for a good price. I got vegetable dumplings and a black, broad noodle dish with tofu, while my friend opted for something a bit spicier. The food came fast and, while not the best Thai noodles I’ve had, was definitely tasty. The bill was a happy $15 for us combined, making this spot a place I could certainly afford to revisit.

No, it’s not Fringe week just yet. Don’t get all Shakespeare-eyed on me and reminisce about those days you became an unpaid stage hand just so you could watch the gritty and real life of off-off-Broadway productions. Don’t think of that time you did gigs with your band for free drinks. Don’t even try to recall the PA gig you did on the Sopranos in hopes that some day you will make Second Second Assistant Director.

No. Forget those dreamy gigs you’ve taken in the past. Live in the now. Let’s snap back into reality as Eminem would say. It’s time to take a deep look at your wallet, your pocket, your bank account and measure it against your lifestyle.

Are you living with more than 2 people you’ve never met before you started living here? Are you working multiple jobs and having barely enough time to sleep? Do you survive on Cup of Noodles and Mac n’ Cheese? Does the thought of free food still excite you?

It seems that a lot of people did take into account all of the above and the big moves have finally started. A few of my personal friends have done so, but this New York Magazine article proves it: people are fleeing NYC for more affordable places where their dollar goes farther. Places like Buffalo, NY - imho one of the biggest architectural nightmares ever. But you know what? It beats sleeping on an air mattress.

Are you moving?

The American Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria has re-opened, despite being in the process of a major expansion, which will make it bigger and better than ever.
It’s a bargain at $10 per adult [discounts for children, students and seniors]. It’s free on Friday from 4pm to 8pm.

AMMI is not an all-day affair; you can get through it in less than two hours. But definitely check out the schedule of film screenings. And, despite the Greek exodus to suburbia, you can still find some good Greek food, as well as awesome Middle-Eastern, Latino, and Italian bakeries and eateries. Check out this video tour by a local opera singer, as he eats his way through doughy, yeasty treats.

The American Museum of the Moving Image

Okay, so it’s no secret anymore: the Transit Authority is about to roll out a new experiment– subway cars with folding seats, which will be locked in the up position during rush hour. In other words, a seatless subway car, or standing room only. For many riders, this is no big deal; they never get a seat anyway. For others, it’s the ultimate insult from a TA that constantly raises fares and doesn’t seem to improve service. The TA says a car without seats will provide more space for more riders. This is the obvious advantage. But what are some other benefits? Following is a list I came up with; see if you can contribute your own:
1] No smelly bums laying out, taking up seats.
2] Less chance of someone falling asleep next to you and falling in your lap.
3] More difficult for the riders who do their personal care on the subway, especially the annoying people who insist on clipping nails on board.
4] Don’t have to worry about giving your seat to the elderly or pregnant
5] Less likely to have someone next to you eating their greasy food.

Photo from Wikipages.com

I met up with friends at a great brunch place yesterday - Central Park. We all brought something different and met up with a blanket at the Sheep Meadow. Inspired by breakfast buffets in Turkey, I brought a couple different cheeses, cucumbers, olives, and bread. One friend broke rules a bit and brought the ingredients for Bellinis. With quite a food spread, we sipped our Bellinis and caught up on with each other. I wondered why I didn’t do this more often, especially since it’s much cheaper than any other Manhattan alternative. We were just packing up when the sky darkened ominously and we made a dash for the subway. I suppose that there our some risks involved in brunching al fresco.

If you’re a NYC native, no day’s start is complete without a bagel and coffee. Most of the time, these bagels are freshly available at one of several street cars and they are absolutely delicious.

But this being NYC, capital of the retail fast food world, competition is stiff. And the once affordable street cart vendors have a lot of chain restaurants, in particular Dunkin’ Donuts to compete with.

Now the interesting thing about Dunkin’ Donuts is their nutrition facts. Several years ago none of their donuts claimed to have Eggs, but almost overnight - a few months back, nearly all the donuts now report eggs as ingredients. So for vegetarians (who don’t eat eggs) & vegans like me, this was a shock.

But I thought, well no donuts but at least I can have their bagels, right? WRONG!

Again, after doing some digging around on the Internet, I found that the Dunkin’ Donuts people had agreed that their bagels contain an ingredient derived from Duck Feathers.  The protein L-Cysteine is the ingredient that makes these bagels inedible. So be sure that if you’re vegan/vegetarian, you stay away from this protein unless it is specifically stated that its source is vegetarian.